BOOK NOTES: New compilation of materials about Famine-Genocide (11/16/03)

THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAMINE-GENOCIDE IN UKRAINE

BOOK NOTES: New compilation of materials about Famine-Genocide

"Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, 1932-1933: Western Archives, Testimonies and New Research," edited by Wsevolod W. Isajiw. Toronto: Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Center, 2003. ISBN 0-921537-56-5, 212 pp., $20 (softcover).

Published on the 70th anniversary of the 1932-1933 Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, this book presents an analysis of documents about the Famine found in Western and Russian archives.

It examines reports about the Famine sent at the time by the German, Italian and British consulates to their governments. Up to now, little has been written about these reports. The reports give a shocking picture of the unbelievable tragedy that the Famine was. They also indicate that the Famine was brought about intentionally by the Soviet government of the time.

The book examines Famine witness testimonies collected both in the West and in Ukraine since its independence. A special section is devoted to "Testimonies from Kyiv," which include articles prepared by Volodymyr Maniak and Lidia Kovalenko.

The pressure exerted by the Soviet regime on the Western press to deny the Famine and the willingness of some reporters to comply is also a focal point of the book. A unique article by Terry Martin on the letters of Stalin, recently discovered in the Russian archives, linking the Famine to Stalin's hatred of the Ukrainian independence movement of the time, appear in the volume in the section called "Famine Initiators and Directors: Personal Papers."

In the section "The Other Famines," the book examines two other famines in Ukraine spawned by the Soviet regime in the 20th century: "The Origin of the Ukrainian Famine of 1921-1923 in the Light of Recent Research" by Roman Serbyn and "The 1946-1947 Famine in Ukraine: A Comment on the Archives of the Underground" by Peter J. Potichnyj.

The book contains an introduction by Dr. Wsewolod Isajiw; an extensive bibliography on the 1932-1933 Famine-Genocide prepared by Olya Pavlyshyn is included at the end of the volume.

Among the articles in the book are: "German Diplomatic Reports on the Famine" by Orest Subtelny; "Italian Archival Documents on the Ukrainian Famine" by Andrea Graziosi; "The Famine in the British Government Archives" by Jaroslaw V. Koshiw; "The Famine Witnesses: Oral Histories in North America" by Iroida Wynnytsky and Wsevolod W. Isajiw; "A Blanket of Silence: The Response of the Western Press Corps in Moscow to the Ukraine Famine in 1932-1933" by Susan J. Taylor; (author of the highly acclaimed biography of Walter Duranty titled "Stalin's Apologist") and "Famine, International Law and Human Rights: A Statement on the 1990 Report of the International Commission of Inquiry into the 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine" by John P. Humphrey.

The price of the book is $20 (Canadian funds within Canada; $20 U.S. outside of Canada), plus shipping and handling. Orders may be placed by phone, (416) 966-1819); fax, (416) 966-1820); e-mail, [email protected]; or mail, UCRDC, 620 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5S 2H4, Canada. Payment is accepted only in cash, check or money order.

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